Airship



June 17, 1924. 1498411 1-1. WHITESIDE AIRSHIP Original Filed July 20,1916 5 Sheets-Sheet l June 17 1924. 1,498,41 l

H. A. WHITESIDE AIRSHIP Original ile ly 20. 1916 5 Sheets-Sheet 2IIEIEiIIlWTElEJIEIIEIIEIIQJEII 3/ 47 IQIEJIElL-AJIQJEQ June 17 1924. Q1,498,41 l

H. A. WHITESIDE AIRSHIP Original Filed July 20. 1916 s Sheets-Sheet 5June 17 1924. 1,498,411

H. A, WHITESIDE AIRSHIP Original Filed July 20, 1916 5 sh s 4 //award fll l/b/i' side $591 attozmem June 17 1924.

H. A. WHITESIDE AIRSHIP Original Filed July 20,

1916 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 17, 1924..

HOWARD A. WHITESIDE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIRSHIP.

Application filed July 20, 1916, Serial No. 110,325.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HowARD A. VVHITE- SIDE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resi dent of New York, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAirships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air ships and has for its object theconstruction of a vessel which is easy to operate and which is steadywhile afloat in the air. Other objects of my invention are to mount thepropellers in such a manner that they may be readily shifted to aposition to act as helicopters,

and to provide a means for automatically maintaining the ship at an evenkeel. The invention will be fully described hereinafter and the featuresof novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 isa plan view of my improved air ship.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the mechanism for automaticallyoperating the rudder.

Figure 5 is a detail plan view of a portion of the aeroplanes.

Figure 6 is an elevation thereof.

Figure 7 is a detail view of the mechanism for shifting the position ofthe propellers, and

Figure 8 is a sectional detail thereof.

In the drawings is shown the body or hull 1 of the vessel, in the upperportion of which is secured a stationary platform 2 on which theaeroplanes, or wings, 3 are located. The said wings each comprise a rod4 having its opposite ends secured at 5 and 6 upon supports 6 secured tothe platform 2. Additional rods, 7, 8 and 9 are pivotally mounted at 10upon shafts 11, secured in suitable journals. The said rods 7, 8 and 9extend outwardly from said center 10 and serve to carry the sails 3which are suitably secured thereto. The shafts 11 each carry at theirupper ends and at an intermediate point, sectors 14 adapted to engagepinions 15 and 16 which mesh with each other as clearly shown in Fig. 5.The pinions 15 and 16 are mounted on shafts 17 journalled in suitablebearings 18, one shaft Renewed March 1, 1924.

17 being extended through a journal 19 located on the platform 2 andcarrying a hand wheel 20. It is to be understood that there are two setsof two wings, each set being located in difierent horizontal planes. Thewings are all of the same construction and may be folded and unfolded bymeans of the hand wheel 20, sectors 14 and pinions 15 and 16. In theirextended position the wings are each fan shaped and are easily andquickly folded through the medium of the mechanism just described.

Motors 21 and 21 are suitably supported in the body 1 and have bevelledgears 22 mounted on the driving shafts thereof. These bevelled gears 22mesh with oppositely arranged bevel pinions 23, each secured to aseparate shaft 24 mounted in suitable bearings 25 carried by the body 1.Each shaft 24 extends into an outwardly projecting sleeve 26 rotatablymounted on the body 1 and terminating in a gear case 27. Abevel pinion28 is secured to the outer endof each shaft 24 in engagement withsimilar bevel gears 29 each carried by a countershaft 3O journalled inthe gear casing 27 at an angle to the axis of the shaft 24 on whichcountershafts 30 are mounted the combined propellers and helicopters 31.The sleeves 26 are each formed with a pinion 32 which mesh withhorizontally movable racks 33 arranged in suitable supports 34 atopposite sides of the body 1 and connected to move in unison by crossbars 35. One of the racks 33 also engages with a pinion 36 carried by ashort shaft 37 to which an operating lever 38 is secured. This operatinglever is provided with a handle 39 and a spring catch 40 adapted toco-operate with a stationary notched segment 41 to lock the lever in anyadjusted position.

By swinging the lever 38 in the arc of a i I circle in one direction orthe other, the pinion 36 is correspondingly moved and transmits itsmotion to the racks 33 which are connected to move in unison as beforestated. The horizontal movement of said racks in turn rotates the pinion32 and with them the sleeves 26, thus changing the direction of the axisof each propeller or helicopter 31 to any desired position as from thehorizontal to the vertical. The propellers 31 may thus first be adjustedwith their axis in a vertical. plane to act as helicopters and afterwards swung to a position with their axis in a horizontal plane topropel the vessel. All

mounted at 47 to swing about a horizontal axis in a fork 48 which isitself bodily rotatable on a vertical axis. The said rudder is thuscapable of moving up and down as well as from right to left. The rod 49of the rudder is provided with an elongated loop 50 at an intermediatepoint and has its free end projecting through a loop 51 forming part ofor secured to a stem 52 carried by a rack 53 vertically movable on astationary rod 54. The said rack 53 engages with a segment 55 looselymounted on a shaft 56 extending crosswise of the body of the vessel andcarrying a depending weight 57. A suitable clutch, moved by the arm 56,is provided for throwing the segment 55 into and out of engagement withthe shaft 56. A similar rack 08 is mounted to slide on a cross bar 59and meshes with a segment 60 loosely mounted on a shaft 61 which extendslongitudinally of the body. This shaft 61 also carries a dependingweight 62 the stem of which projects through the loop 50. A clutch 63 isprovided for engaging and disengaging said segment from the shaft 61,said clutch being moved by the arm 63 and otherwise identical inconstruction with the clutch on shaft 56 above referred to. The rack 58is provided with a downwardly extending rod 64 terminating in a loop 65through which the rod 49 of the rudder projects. Each rack has itsopposite ends connected by means of cords or wires 58 and 58 which passover suitable pulleys and are connected with hand wheels 53 and 58. Whenthe rudder is to be operated manually the clutch 63 and the clutch onthe shaft 56 are thrown out to leave the racks free to be operated byturning the hand wheels 53 and 58 in either direction. This turning ofthe hand wheels will cause a pull to be exerted on the racks in eitherdirection, and in one case through the medium of the rod and loop 65will swing the rudder in a horizontal plane and in the other instancethrough the medium of the loop 51 will raise or lower said rudder Duringthese movements of the racks the segments 55 and 60 will be oscillatedbut owing to the fact that bot-h these segments are loosely mounted ontheir respective shafts, the clutches having been thrown out, thisoscillation will have no effect on the said shafts and the dependingweights.

When the clutches are thrown in, the devices operate automatically inthe following manner: Should the vessel rock about its lcngitudinal axisthe weight 62 will swing accordingly and will rock the shaft 61 and withit the segment 60. This movement is thus communicated to the rack 58which is thus moved in a direction at an angle to the rod 49 of therudder and through the medium of the downwardly extending rod 64 andloop wil swing said rudder in a horizontal plane. Should the vessel rockabout its lateral axis the weight 57 will move and rock the shaft 56 andwith it the segment 55. This will cause the rack 53 and with it the loop51 to be raised or lowered, which loop will accordingly engage and raiseor lower the end of the rudder rod 49. Thus no matter in which directionthe vessel moves from the normal position the rudder will be movedaccordingly to immediately bring the vessel back to an even keel. Theautomatic balancing mechanisms operate freely and independently of eachother.

Tn operation the propellers 31 are shifted so as to revolve in ahorizontal plane to act as helicopters, after which the motors arestarted to raise the vessel. After the de sired height has been reachedthe wings are unfolded to sustain the vessel in the air and thepropellers are shifted to a position to revolve in a vertical plane and,drive the vessel. The rear propellers in the meantime all exert adriving or propelling ac tion. On descending, the wings may be folded,the propellers having first been brought back to their initial positionto revolve in a horizontal plane thus permitting the vessel to slowlysettle toward the ground.

The weights 57 and 62 with their suspending rods and fulcrums constitutependulums. When the ship lists to either side by the automatic action ofthe segment 60 a circular motion is immediately imparted to the airship, the ship leaning towards the centre of the arc formed by itsmotion, whereby through the action of centrifugal force the ship iscaused to assume a level position.

It is evident that the ship may be steered laterally or verticallywithout detaching the clutches. In such cases as the pendulums are beinglifted the leverage becomes greater and they offer progressively greateropposition to the movement of the rudder. This feature is a means of thegreatest safety as it prevents too sharp or dangerous turns. Furthermorethe automatic action of the pendulum mechanisms may instantly be broughtinto play, merely by letting loose the hand wheels. Thus, if a turnshould be made that in the least degree jeopardizes the stability of theship the deviation from the perpendicular may be instantly andautomatically rectified simply by loosening the hand wheels.

In the automatic balancing by the pendulum 62 and the horizontal part ofthe rudder, the latter is shifted towards the high side of the machinewhen the nose tips down. When the nose turns up, the horizontal part ofthe rudder is turned down. In a vertical plane whenthe nose turns to theright, the vertical rudder is turned to the left, and when the noseturns to theleft the horizontal rudder is turned to the right.

Various modifications of the elements shown may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and some of the elementsshown may be omitted without interfering with the co-operation of theremaining ones.

For convenience of illustration, many of the elements of the aeroplanehave been shown on a reduced scale.

WVhat I claim as new is:

1. In'an air ship, heavier than air, a rudder mounted to swing about avertical and a horizontal axis, mechanism for automatically swingingsaid rudder about either of its axes, means for disconnecting saidautomatic mechanism, and mechanism for manually operating said rudderwhen said automatic mechanism is disconnected.

2. In an air ship, a rudder provided with horizontal and verticalblades, mounted to swing about a horizontal and a vertical axis, manualoperating means for each of said blades, automatic operating means foreach of said blades associated with each of said manual operating means,and clutch means interposed between each manual operating means and itsrespective associate automatic operating means.

3. In an airship, in combination, sustaining wings for said air shipadapted to be folded to decrease resistance to upward or downwardmovement or to be unfolded to present a greater sustaining area, aplurality ofpropellers adapted to be adjusted to exert driving orlifting effort upon said airship,

and a stabilizing rudder operated automatically to keep said airship onan even keel.

4. In an airship, in combination, sustaining wings and a body suspendedtherefrom, propellers arranged at opposite sides of said body, a motorfor driving said propellers,

additional propellers similarly arranged to said first propellers butspaced longitudinally of said body, a second motor for driving saidadditional propellers, means for adjusting said propellers to exert alifting effort or a driving efiort'on said airship, and a propellerfixed in position to exert a driving effort on said airship and drivenby one of said motors.

5. An airship heavier than air including, in combination, a body, wings,and propellers, one or more of said propellers adapted to be disposedtoexert either a lifting or a driving eflect on said body, a rudder,including horizontal and vertical blades, mounted to swing about avertical and a horizontal axis, and means for automatically swingingsaid rudder about either axis as the ship assumes positions other thanthe normal.

6. An airship heavier than air including, in combination, a body, wings,and propellers, one or more of said propellers adapted to be disposed toexert either a lifting or a driving effect on said body, said wingsincluding sections movable to provide more or less horizontal area, arudder, including horizontal and Vertical blades, mounted to swing abouta vertical and a horizontal axis, and means for automatically swingingsaid rudder about either axis as the ship assumes positions other thanthe normal.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of N. Y., this18th day of July A. D. 1916.

HOWARD A. WHITESIDE.

IVitnesses:

C. A. O. ROSELL,

GEORGIA PARKS.

